Fishing in the Smokies
setting.
With several hundred miles of streams located in the National Park, anglers
have plenty of opportunity to catch those rainbow trout, brown trout, and
with some exceptions to regulations, even the elusive brook trout (a.k.a.
"speckled trout"). However, listed below are various places that
fishing is not allowed.All of the waters of Mingus Creek and Lands Creek are public water supplies and closed to fishing. In addition fishing is prohibited in the places listed below (In Tennessee and North Carolina). For exact location of these places, consult the appropriate USGS 1:24,000 Quadrangle Map available at Park visitor centers.
Tennessee
1. Sams Creek at the confluence with Thunderhead Prong.
2. Marks Creek at the falls at 2600'.
3. Lynn Camp Prong at campsite #28 (Mark's Cove).
5.
Meigs Creek at its confluence with Little River.
6. Fish Camp Prong and Goshen Creek at their common junction.
7. Little River and Grouse Creek at their common junction.
8. Road Pr on at its confluence with West Prong of Little Pigeon River.
9. Buck Fork and Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River at their common junction.
10. Dunn Creek at Park boundary.
11. Indian Cam Creek at Park boundary.
12. Greenbrier River (Little Creek) at Park boundary.
13. Toms Creek at its junction with Cosby Creek.
14. Cosby Creek where Low Gap Trail crosses the stream.
15. Rock Creek at its junction with Cosby Creek .
16. Spruce Flats Creek at its confluence with Middle Prong of Little River.
17. Meigs Post Prong at its confluence with Little River.
North Carolina
1. Gunter Creek at the first trail crossing on Gunter at 3240' elevation.
2. Big Creek and Yellow Creek at their junction.
3. McGinty Creek at its confluence with Swallow Fork.
4. Correll Branch at the junction with Little Cataloochee Creek.
5. Lost Bottom Creek at its confluence with Palmer Creek at 3280' elevation.
6. Bunches Creek at the Park boundary.
7. Stillwell Creek at the Park boundary.
8. Straight Fork and Balsam Corner Creek at their common junction.
9. Raven Fork at Big Pool which is the confluence of Left Fork, Middle Fork and Right Fork (also known as Three Forks).
10. Enloe Creek at the junction with Raven Fork.
11. Taywa Creek at its confluence with Bradley Fork.
12. Chasm Prong and Gulf Prong at their common junction on Bradley Fork.
13. Sahlee Creek at its confluence with Deep Creek.
14. Noland Creek and Salola Branch at their confluence.
15. Huggins Creek (tributary of Forney Creek) at the cascade at 3700' elevation.
16. Hazel Creek at the cascades.
17. Walkers Creek at the falls at 3400' elevation.
18. Defeat Branch at its junction with Bone Valley Creek.
19. Gunna Creek (tributary to Eagle Creek) at trail crossing at 3080' elevation
Rules and Regulations:
Anglers 13 years and older (16
and older in NC) need a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license to
fish in the Park. The Park does not sell licenses. Check with local chambers
of commerce for purchase information. No trout stamp is needed. Fishing is
permitted year-round in open waters, from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30
minutes after sunset. Stop by a park visitor center to get a full copy of
the regulations.
RESIDENT LICENSES:
Can be purchased by those who are residents of
Tennessee. Military personnel on active duty in Tennessee and their
immediate families may purchase a resident license regardless of resident
status. You need a license if you take fish or attempt to by any method or
assist anyone in doing so.
- Annual Trout $12.00
- Annual Fishing and Hunting
Combo $21.00
(Both required to Fish for Trout) Total: 33.00
NON-RESIDENT LICENSES:
-
Annual All Fish $51.00
-
10 Day All Fish $30.50
-
3 Day All Fish $20.50
-
1 Day Trout $10.50
-
Gatlinburg Trout Daily $2.50 (This charge in addition to the above stated fees.)
No fishing license is needed if:
- you are under 13 years of age (resident or non-resident)
- you are a landowner or a tenant or a dependent child fishing on land that you own or tend to
- you are on military leave, carrying a copy of your leave orders. A pass does not meet this requirement
- you are a resident who was 65 years of age before March 1, 1991, and are carrying proof of your age to show if requested
Daily possession limits:
- Any combination of rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass totaling 5
- 20 rockbass
- It is illegal to possess brook trout
- A person must stop fishing once reaching the limit
Size limits
- Rainbow and brown trout: 7in. minimum
- Smallmouth bass: 7in. minimum
- Rockbass: no minimum
- All brook trout and any fish below the minimum must be immediately returned to the water
Lures, bait, and equipment
- Only one handheld rod may be used
- Single hook only
- Bait must be fully artificial
- Liquid scents are prohibited
- All equipment is subject to inspection by authorized Park staff
A few words about brook
trout and other fish
Brook trout are the only trout native to the Smokies. Heavy logging during
the early 1900s eliminated the fish from half its range. Brown trout and
rainbow trout, stocked in the mid 1900s, outcompeted the brook trout,
further limiting its range. Restoring the brook trout to its native range is
a primary
objective. The goal of the brook trout restoration program is to
foster a self-sustaining natural population able to support angling
pressure. Streams populated only by brook trout are closed to help this be a
future reality. In total 40 species of fish including darters, dace,
suckers, bass, shiners, and trout populate the Smokies' streams.
Salamanders, crayfish, aquatic insects, and algae are other important
components of local aquatic ecosystems.
In North Carolina: Beech Flats Creek above Kanati Branch confluence, all of Bunches Creek within the Park, Hazel Creek upstream of Proctor Creek, and Lost Bottom Creek upstream of Palmer Creek.
In Tennessee: Cosby Creek above Rock Creek confluence, all of Indian Camp Creek inside the Park, Walker Prong upstream of Alum Cave, and Fish Camp Prong upstream of Goshen Prong.
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